{"id":60018,"date":"2026-03-20T23:38:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T03:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-weighs-ground-operations-in-iran-as-kuwait-intercepts-hostile-strikes\/60018\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T23:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T03:38:23","slug":"us-weighs-ground-operations-in-iran-as-kuwait-intercepts-hostile-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-weighs-ground-operations-in-iran-as-kuwait-intercepts-hostile-strikes\/60018\/","title":{"rendered":"US Weighs Ground Operations in Iran as Kuwait Intercepts Hostile Strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>President <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> is weighing high-stakes military options<\/strong>, including the deployment of special forces to recover <strong>highly enriched uranium<\/strong> or the seizure of Iranian oil facilities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kuwaiti air defenses are actively engaging<\/strong> hostile missile and drone attacks, signaling a dangerous expansion of the conflict into neighboring Gulf states.<\/li>\n<li><strong>U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz<\/strong> confirmed that while air and sea strikes are preferred for destroying nuclear sites, &quot;all options,&quot; including <strong>ground forces<\/strong>, remain on the table.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Global energy markets remain volatile<\/strong> as the threat to Iranian infrastructure and the de facto blockade of the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> keep Brent crude prices elevated near <strong>$112 per barrel<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> administration is reportedly evaluating a significant shift in its military strategy against Tehran, moving beyond the current air campaign known as <strong>Operation Epic Fury<\/strong>. According to reports from <strong>NBC Network<\/strong>, the President\u2019s current options include a specialized operation to recover <strong>highly enriched uranium<\/strong> buried at damaged nuclear sites or the use of ground forces to seize critical <strong>Iranian oil facilities<\/strong>. This strategic pivot aims to permanently eliminate Iran\u2019s nuclear breakout capability while simultaneously stripping the regime of its primary revenue source.<\/p>\n<p>In a direct escalation of regional hostilities, the <strong>Kuwaiti Army<\/strong> announced Saturday that its air defense systems are currently confronting a wave of <strong>hostile missile and drone attacks<\/strong>. Residents in Kuwait City reported hearing multiple explosions as interceptors engaged incoming threats, which officials attribute to Iranian retaliation against U.S. allies. This follows similar strikes on energy infrastructure in <strong>Saudi Arabia<\/strong> and the <strong>United Arab Emirates<\/strong>, further destabilizing the world\u2019s most critical oil-producing region.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing an emergency session of the <strong>UN Security Council<\/strong>, U.S. Ambassador to the UN <strong>Mike Waltz<\/strong> signaled that the administration prefers destroying Iran\u2019s nuclear infrastructure through <strong>sea or air-based strikes<\/strong> to minimize American casualties. However, Waltz explicitly stated that <strong>President Trump<\/strong> maintains &quot;all options,&quot; including the deployment of <strong>forces inside Iranian territory<\/strong>. &quot;We are not looking for a long-term occupation,&quot; Waltz noted, &quot;but we will do whatever is necessary to ensure this regime never threatens the world with a nuclear weapon again.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Financial markets are reacting sharply to the prospect of a ground intervention and the ongoing threats to regional oil hubs like <strong>Kharg Island<\/strong>. The <strong>United States Oil Fund (<a href=\"\/stock\/USO\">USO<\/a>)<\/strong> has seen increased volume as traders price in a prolonged disruption to the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, where roughly <strong>20% of global oil supply<\/strong> is currently at risk. While the administration recently eased some sanctions to unlock <strong>140 million barrels<\/strong> of oil at sea, analysts warn that a direct seizure of Iranian facilities could lead to a <em>permanent shift in global energy logistics<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Defense contractors are seeing heightened volatility as the Pentagon prepares for potential &quot;boots on the ground&quot; scenarios. Shares of <strong>Lockheed Martin (<a href=\"\/stock\/LMT\">LMT<\/a>)<\/strong>, <strong>RTX Corporation (<a href=\"\/stock\/RTX\">RTX<\/a>)<\/strong>, and <strong>General Dynamics (<a href=\"\/stock\/GD\">GD<\/a>)<\/strong> remain in focus as the U.S. military moves additional assets, including <strong>Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)<\/strong> units, into the theater. Meanwhile, integrated energy giants like <strong>ExxonMobil (<a href=\"\/stock\/XOM\">XOM<\/a>)<\/strong> are monitoring the safety of regional infrastructure as the conflict threatens to engulf the broader Middle East.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways President Trump is weighing high-stakes military options, including the deployment of special forces to recover highly enriched uranium [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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